Where has the time gone?

I’m not really the type of person who doodles during class. I’m more of the pen-tapper, knuckle-breaker, glancing-at-the-clock-every-five-minutes type of person. I’m sure we’ve all had a professor whose teaching style didn’t exactly work in our favor, and we’re left thinking of all the other things we could be doing with the time we’re spending in class.

Time is a kind of confusing idea to think about. As much as I like to think I have good time management skills, I’ll admit that at times it can be difficult to organize my work in a way that is beneficial to me.

Recently, I found myself with a huge pile of work, and while I’m usually able to handle everything, this was the most I’ve ever had. It wasn’t particularly the number of assignments I had to complete but rather the amount of material I had to pack into my brain and study. But somewhere in the middle of my flashcard making and eyebrow furrowing I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to do it all. I wasn’t going to be able to know the exact definition of every single term, or be able to play every piano exercise perfectly. And that’s okay.

As much as I think it’s important to tell yourself, “I can do this,” I think it’s equally important to understand that you’re only human, and it’s okay if you can’t do it all.

While we’re on the subject of time, am I the only one totally appalled at the fact that it’s already week five of the semester? I’m currently figuring out my living arrangements for next year, but it feels like I just moved into my dorm. A recent podcast I listened to explained that young children perceive time as moving much more slowly than adults do because they have fewer years of memories to look back on. And it makes sense — when I look back on my life before I started college, it seems as if time zoomed right by me.

My point is to not get too involved with the insanely confusing topic of time. Don’t beat yourself up if you managed your time poorly because all you can do is learn from it and try better next time. And if you’re convinced that time is truly passing by faster each day, just remember to cherish the present.

That’s all for this week’s column, see you next time!